


Every Scar

by flightinflame



Series: The Light That in Us Burns [6]
Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Bathing/Washing, Bubble Bath, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Past Child Abuse, Scars, shared bath
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-07
Updated: 2017-04-07
Packaged: 2018-10-16 03:37:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,898
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10562901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Credence enjoys a moment of intimacy with his lovers, and takes the chance to learn the stories behind the scars written across their skin.





	

Percival was doing his “duel training” apparently. Credence had to doubt that though, because Credence had seen a number of wizard duels over the past few months. Both the elegantly formal duels that took place weekly within MACUSA, and the dirtier fights on the streets. Neither of these involved one of the participants being shirtless. Credence hardly objected to watching Percival exercise while shirtless – in fact he rather enjoyed it. He just didn’t see how it counted as training for a duel.

It had been a good few weeks, since he had walked in on Percival and Newt, and he had learned a lot in the time that had passed. He had learned more about kissing, and about touching, about how it felt to be held between the two of them. They were still chaste. That was important to Credence - he didn't want anyone thinking that he was some kind of... of fallen man. Newt and Percival were so happy together, and Credence didn't want to destroy that. They had been so kind. He couldn't let his own desires get in the way of their joy. But watching Percival train - when Percival smiled at him like that, well, there was no harm there. Not really. Nothing terrible. Not given the sins he had already committed. 

Percival stretched, his exercise clearly finished for now, and waved his hand towards Credence.   
"Could you be a dear and see if Newt's got the bath ready?"  
Credence nodded, blushing a little as he made his way into the bathroom. Newt smiled to see him, already sat in the flower scented water, bubbles rising to his mid chest.   
"Comfy?" Credence asked, daring to smile a little. It had been a few months since he had arrived, Newt's body now as curved as his own had been when he had arrived - if anything perhaps a little more swollen with child. 

Credence was blessed with feeling the child within him moving on most days. That would have been enough, but he had been given so much more.   
"Comfy." Newt agreed, reaching for his wand and making the bath larger. "You... you don't have to join me if you don't want Credence, you do know that right?"  
"I know." Credence agreed after a moment. "I want to…just..." He squirmed slightly. "Would you close your eyes?"

Newt closed his eyes and turned his head towards the wall as Credence stripped out of his clothes, before climbing in beside him. The water was warm and the bubbles felt soft, cushioning around him - Newt always had the best things to add to the baths, and he used them liberally. Normally, Credence bathed alone, but today it was different. Today was as far as they could work out, the start of his third trimester. Percival had been the one to suggest they do something to celebrate. 

Credence had spent almost a day considering his options before he'd got up the courage to ask to share a bath with them. With the bubbles covering anything improper, it made things a little easier, and he liked baths and he liked being held. It was easy enough to combine the two desires into one request.

Newt's arms wrapped around Credence's shoulders as he climbed in beside him, and Credence rested his head on Newt's shoulder, leaning in for a moment to press a kiss to the skin there. He frowned a little when he saw a ring of pale scars across the freckled skin, raising his fingers to trace out the marks.  
"What...what happened?"  
"Oh... that one was a grindylow." Newt shrugged. "It had an injured foot and didn't like me trying to take a look at it."  
"It hurt you."  
"It's a hazard of working with creatures..." Newt said quite casually, turning his body towards Credence and showing him the other marks that were scattered across him. "This one is from when I was a child, I upset a nesting hippogriff, so they defended their egg. That's only natural."

"What about that?" Credence asked softly, tracing a finger along three lines that were across Newt's chest.  
"Fluffy wasn't keen on me initially-"  
Credence frowned, a protective hand resting on Newt's stomach.   
"You..." He paused. "You could have been killed, you said a nundu was dangerous."

"No." Newt said softly. "It was my own fault, I should have been more careful. I make mistakes, but they haven't been serious. I don't heal the scars to remind me not to do the same thing again."  
Credence wrapped his arms around him and hugged him tightly.  
"Be careful. Please."

"I will be." Newt agreed, pressing a kiss to Credence's cheek. "I've learned, I promise." He paused. "And that one?" He saw Credence's gaze turn to the scars like fireworks across ribs. "Those were from people attacking me. Same with these-" He pointed out a handful of other injuries and Credence brushed gentle fingers over each one. Credence hated to see so many injuries, but listened anyway. Hearing Newt speak didn't exactly convince Credence that his boyfriend was careful when he had to be.

Newt fell silent only when Percival walked into the room, nodding at the two of them.  
"You two alright in there?" Percival asked, a smile playing on his lips, as though catching the two of them cuddled up in the bath was the best thing he could ever have hoped to see. Credence smiled shyly, still amazed that Percival and Newt were willing to allow him to share in this remarkable family.

"Newton is just telling me about all his injuries." Credence explained, managing to put a lot of disdain into the first word. Newt laughed and tickled Credence for a moment, before stroking over one of the scars across his back. Credence shivered but leaned into the contact. He was still struggling to believe how much he was touched now, how little it hurt. The scars that scattered his skin now felt like signs of strength rather than weakness.

Percival smiled indulgently.  
"Well, I hope you tell him not to be so stupid in future. From what I hear, we're lucky no creatures have chewed his face off yet."  
"Give it time." Newt said cheerfully, and Credence retaliated by attempting to splash him. Newt splashed back.

He felt another strong set of arms wrap around his shoulders, and turned to find Percival sat in the bath beside him, one hand raised as he used his magic to prevent the floor from being splashed.  
"Children..." Percival reprimanded, but his voice was gentle, fond. "Don't soak the floorboards."  
"He started it." Newt and Credence managed to say in perfect harmony, and Percival quickly brushed his lips to Credence's before kissing Newt deeply.   
"Well I'm finishing it. Now, Credence..." Percival's arm pulled him closer, and he rested his head on Percival's chest. "Is this okay? Not too much?"  
"It's wonderful." Credence answered, then paused when he glanced down at the water and saw a row of thin neat lines of pale skin running up Percival's thigh, on display as he tried to hold Credence in place. 

"What happened?" Credence asked after a moment of silence.  
"About what?"  
"About the scars." Credence said after a moment. "What did you do to deserve them?" He couldn't imagine that Percival would ever have deserved to be hurt. He was too brave, and too kind, and too Percival for that. He hoped this wouldn't be another of the aftereffects of Grindelwald - he could see the lightning scars Newt shared on Percival's chest, and those were a cause of enough guilt.  
His hand reached out to brush his fingers against the scars on those thighs and Percival tensed, the arms around him tightening - not painfully, just holding him more firmly than before.   
"Nothing." Percival said, his voice quieter than Credence had heard him before. Percival was a warrior, a leader, but right now he sounded nervous.  
"I...I didn't mean it was your fault-" Credence tried to apologise. He didn't want Percival to feel he was being rude. He just wondered what Percival, the dear brave man who he cared for so much, could have done to cause someone to inflict these scars on his skin.

"He's an auror." Newt said, his own voice tinged with regret. "It's a risk of the job. People attack, not because the aurors have done something bad but because they've done something right..." His voice shook a little. "My brother has gained some rather nasty injuries over the years. I've nearly lost him on more than one occasion..." He swallowed, and Credence felt guilt increasing. His foolish query was hurting both of them. 

Percival shook his head, reaching out for Newt and pulling him close, leaving Credence tucked safely between them.  
"I've got scars from work." He said softly. "But those are older than that."

Credence frowned a little, thinking of Chastity, how he had found her once in the kitchen staring at a dropped plate, her hand grasping one of the shards and pressing it against her leg as tears flowed down her face. He remembered seeing other scars, wondering what had caused them, knowing they were too neat to be formed with a belt.  
"Chastity.... Chastity had scars like that." He said softly. "She dropped a plate, and she was.... she was so scared and so angry with herself... Ma made her sick, you know, in her mind..... if she had been...if she had been magic, she would have been an obscurial. As it was, she was just very frightened..." Credence fell silent, thinking of his siblings. At least Modesty was apparently contented in her new life. Chastity had lost that chance. 

Percival pulled him closer, and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek as he began to explain.  
"I wanted to try and stop myself from crying when Mother and Father were angry. I was a Graves, and the Graves family doesn't get scared and doesn't cry. I didn't know... what else to do. At school, my anger went into fights and dueling, but in the summers... in the summers there was nowhere for those thoughts to go."

It was unusual for Percival to choose to talk about his parents, but the more he heard about them the more grateful Credence was that he hadn't spent time with them yet. He could see the anger and emotion shining in Percival's eyes, the frightened boy within him still not sure if he's allowed to cry.

He reached out, and wrapped his arms around Percival and Newt, trying to cling to the sense of safety they always showed him, and to give it to them in return.  
"You're safe." Credence whispered. "You're safe."

Percival smiled at that, but he didn't laugh, didn't act as though that comment was foolish. Instead, he pressed a kiss to Credence's forehead and then to Newt's.  
"No one is going to hurt either of you." Percival said, voice firm with determination. "No one is going to hurt you, or my children. You are my family." 

Credence leaned against him, knowing he was safe, nuzzling Percival's throat as he traced his fingers gently across one of the thin lines of scars, knowing that these in time might fade. Even if those didn't, then Credence was willing to spend the rest of his life helping Percival to feel as safe as he did at this moment.


End file.
